BOST STORE IN HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania militia encampment - Homestead, PA
(click on image to enlarge) Historic Bost Building is circled. The Bost General Store is just to the left of the building.

Photo of Homestead, Pennsylvania. (click on image to enlarge

Detail of Homestead, Pennsylvania 1896. (click on image to enlarge

In early January 2009, our kinsman Dan Sullivan wrote Ron Baraff (at the recommendation of our kinswoman Bonnie Harvey about the suspected Bost photographs in the previous posting on this blog. Mr. Baraff is the Archivist of the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation in Homestead, Pennsylvania.
Dan wrote:
"I'm a cousin of Bonnie (The Bost Ghost) Harvey, and she asked me to forward the attached photos from my family to you. I'd b grateful for any
information you could give us about them.
Connections:
Jacob Fecht. William Bost, Margaret Bost, John Pomi

Ron Baraff wrote in return:
"These are great photos. Can you identify who is in them? The photos are, I believe, of the Bost grocery store which was next door to this building> This building primarily was a hotel, restaurant, and bar. I am attaching a photos of the Bost Building (the larger building in center of photo) from 1892 and c. 1896. The store is to the left of the building.
Hope this helps. Ron Baraff."

Jerry Fecht's note:
Bonnie Harvey gave us our first strong evidence of the relationship between Bosts of Homestead, Pennsylvania with Margaret Fecht (whose maiden name was Bost) acting as godmother for a Bost baby. (see: previous postings this blog). Dan Sullivan's discovery of a grocery store among the photographs of William Bost (Swartwood collection in Fulton, Missouri, are very important - for, as the above email from Ron Baraff, there was a Bost Grocery Store just left of the famous Bost Building in Homestead. (The building circled in this Pennsylvania militia photograph.)

BILL FECHT AND HIS HORSE WILDCAT

For modern descendants and kinfolk of Bill Fecht, these images of Montana homesteads must seem almost fictional. Yet, around 1915 to 1917, many members of our Missouri and Iowa families migrated to Montana and North Dakota to try their hand at Horace Greeley's advice, "Go West young man!" it is also important to recall that Theodore Roosevelt added real fire to the idea of mastering the rugged prairies. Bill Fecht had fond memories of his years as a young cowpuncher.
He wrote on the back of this photograph, "Wild Cat my horse & my self."

HARVESTING IN MONTANA?

This image shared for our Fecht Family blog by Dr. Dan Sullivan was likely taken during his parents' time on a homestead in Montana. Farmers in that era (c. 1915) shared in the harvesting of crops. This photo appears to be a wheat crop.
Strains of wheat common in the lower midwest were not compatible with the climates of Montana and North Dakota. The first one or two years saw unusually good harvests, then failure became the general condition.

BLEAK MONTANA HOMESTEAD

Among the photographs that belonged to Bill and Mildred Fecht was this little snapshot with the simple caption "Monana Homestead." I believe the mounds behind are silage or mowed prairie grasses. I don't think the families who moved there had barns to store the fodder, so lots of animals were lost in the severe winters.
My mom lived in the town of Minot, North Dakota. And, I can recall the news one winter saying that it was 65 degrees below zero - and, in those days wind-chill wasn't taken into consideration.
Getting home before a blizzard was a life and death matter. Most homesteaders would take in anyone who came to their doors in such circumstances.